This Day in Sports History: October 29
Sports in October are all about the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, college football games, the Xfinity 500 for NASCAR, track events, the UEFA Champions…
Sports in October are all about the MLB postseason, the start of the NBA and NHL seasons, college football games, the Xfinity 500 for NASCAR, track events, the UEFA Champions League, and Formula 1. Over the years, Oct. 29 has witnessed many notable moments and stories involving sporting legends. Here are some of them.
Unforgettable Games and Remarkable Records
Great moments in sports history from Oct. 29 included:
- 1889: In the World Championship Baseball Series, the New York Giants defended their title by defeating the Brooklyn Bridegrooms six games to three.
- 1931: Pitcher Lefty Grove won the American League's most valuable player award.
- 1942: Branch Rickey became the president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
- 1950: Bill Rexford won the NASCAR Grand National Series Championship.
- 1950: Cleveland Browns player Marion Motley set an NFL record for the highest average gain in a game with 17.1. The Browns went on to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 45-7.
- 1950: The Lions Wally Triplet achieved a kickoff return yardage of 294 yards, the second highest total in a single game in NFL history.
- 1960: Muhammad Ali won his first professional fight, defeating Tunney Hunsaker on points in six rounds.
- 1961: Ned Jarrett won the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
- 1967: Danny Abramowicz began an NFL streak of 105 straight games of getting at least one reception.
- 1969: Tom Seaver won the National League Cy Young award.
- 1972: Don Cockroft kicked a 57-yard field goal for the Browns.
- 1984: Orlando Pizzolato won the New York Marathon in a time of 2:14:53.
- 1987: Thomas Hearns won his fourth different weight boxing title.
- 1989: Ozzie Newsome's streak of 150 consecutive games with a reception came to an end.
- 2008: The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one to win their second title. Pitcher Cole Hamels was the MVP.
- 2014: The San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals four games to three to win their third World Series title in five years. Pitcher Madison Bumgarner was the MVP.
- 2017: Lewis Hamilton clinched his fourth F1 World Drivers' Championship.
- 2017: Caroline Wozniacki beat Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals title.
- 2018: Warriors star Klay Thompson broke Steph Curry's record for the most three-pointers in a game with 14.
- 2024: The Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman set an MLB record by hitting at least one home run in six straight World Series games.
Three athletes who stood out on Oct. 29 were Wally Triplett, Klay Thompson, and Freddie Freeman.
Triplett was a professional American football player and the first African-American draftee to play for an NFL team. Thompson was a four-time NBA champion, a five-time NBA All-Star, and winner of two Olympic gold medals. Freeman was a star first baseman, a multiple All-Star winner, a former National League MVP, and a two-time World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves (2021) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (2024).
